Beginning of Time
by Bestogoddess
Summary: (Note: This story is a direct sequel to my one-shot "End of Time".) Homura and Okabe have devised a plan to help each other through their struggles, but messing with time has its share of consequences.
1. A Way Back

Homura sat across the table from the man she had come to know as Okabe Rintaro. An hour had now passed since their first meeting, and most of the cafe had left. These two, however, were in no rush to leave.

Throughout the last hour, they had talked in heavy detail about their lives, their stories, and their past. Homura, discussing the finer points of her magic, along with the systems of the incubators and about Madoka. Okabe, discussing her history with Mayuri, his knowledge of world lines and time travel.

Time simply flew.

Homura finished up another bowl of ramen, her magical girl body not feeling the effects of hunger. It was one of the few things that she had come to love about her body.

Okabe signaled for another two bowls, the waitress simply nodding her head in response, before she retreated back into the kitchen.

The conversation hit a standstill for a few seconds, the air dead around them, before Okabe broke the silence.

"Listen, Homura" He started. "I know you have a lot to deal with, and I'm sure you value the life of Madoka, but can I ask you a favor?" Okabe had a still expression over his face, and a tone that said he wasn't playing around anymore.

Homura leaned in closer, making sure she could hear every word. "I'm listening."

Okabe gave one final look around to make sure they were alone.

"I want you to help me save Mayuri. Your ability to stop time may be the key that I need to save her."

Homura didn't react. She had expected this, after all.

"Kaname Madoka's descent into becoming a witch has already begun. There wouldn't be enough time to permanently save her, and I would be gone from this timeline the moment she did so." She felt a twinge of pain saying this so coldly, but facts were facts.

Another minute of silence.

"It's a shame as well. Your device would've helped me in my own attempts to save Madoka. I wouldn't need to redo timelines, but I could rather just go back and change things from this one." Homura sighed a little in despair, her perfect opportunity a waste.

In her moment of despair, something sparked within Okabe's mind. She could see it. For a moment, he seemed to question himself, working out his thoughts in his head, before feeling satisfied with his thoughts, a little laugh coming from him in the process.

"What is it? Did you find a way to help us both?" Homura began working out her own thoughts in her head before Okabe unfolded his thoughts.

"I can't go into much details now, and it's a longshot, but there's a building nearby with a massive object almost crashed into it. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Homura nodded her head. "Yes. I passed by it on my way here, it seemed odd and I was going to check it out later."

"Well, that thing-"

The two were startled when the maid put 2 more bowls on the table, both with terrified expressions on their face.

"E-enjoy your meal...n-nya…" The waitress shyly whispered as she walked away to serve more tables.

Okabe looked around to make sure nobody else was around, checking every direction he could. Finally, he began again.

"That thing is a time machine. A broken one, but one nonetheless."

Homura was taken aback, questions flowing into her mind. She had never even considered the possibility of other forms of physical time travel, nor considered the use of it. Despite this, Homura knew where he was going with this.

"Will our past selves understand what's happening, though?" She asked, curious about how she would react to an unexpected man appearing in front of her, before looking back at Okabe.

"Maybe not, but we'll have to get them up to speed as soon as possible." Okabe was dead set on this, and so was Homura.

It was their best bet.

"This is all assuming we can get the time machine working in time, though."

Homura continued eating, a glare in her eyes dead set into him.

"Let me take a look at it. A normal human may not be able to fix this, but maybe a touch of magic can." She smiled before slowly standing up and walking to the door.

"Well, what are you waiting for? That time machine isn't gonna fix itself, is it?" Okabe followed her to the door. The maid came running out of the kitchen.

"Hey, you still need to pay…"

A few short moments later, a sum of money materialized above the table, Homura looking back with a little wink at the frenzied waitress.

* * *

"You sure it was a good idea to take the device from your lab?"

Okabe looked back to face Homura, still working on the time machine through magical enchantment.

"If you're telling the truth, then the device won't be any use to the other lab members." He responded.

Homura simply nodded her head before going back to work. She could see that this was definitely advanced technology, and it fascinated her to think about it. Neither talked for a while after, the background noise of magic and Okabe examining the phone microwave filling the room.

A small can rolled over to Homura's foot as she worked. Upon further inspection, it was red in color with the words "DK Pepper" written on it.

"Thought you might want it. You're probably thirsty and all." Okabe cracked open one of his own before offering a seat next to him on the ground.

Homura approached him, sitting down and downing it in one solid drink, before nearly spitting it back out from the unusual taste.

"It's not for everyone" He said to her while laughing. She let herself smile, pulling the phone microwave closer to herself. Homura inserted her phone before setting the time.

Okabe looked at her questionably before she responded to his unanswered question.

"I'm just making both our jobs a lot easier."

Before Okabe could ask what she had sent, Homura stood up, now facing the time machine just a little in front of her.

"It should be repaired by now, so whenever you're ready to go, just let me know"

Okabe proudly stood up, before shouting into the sky:

 **LAB MEMBER 009, AKEMI HOMURA, MY PAST SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIONS. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.**

Homura nodded before entering the capsule, Okabe following not far after. Starting it up, she felt time shift around her, but in a different way than what she was used to.

Somehow, she knew she would like Okabe.

Sorry. Kyouma.

* * *

That's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

(Note: This story will be split into 2 different "arcs". I will likely be doing Okabe's arc in Mitakihara first, as Madoka Magica is more my knowledge strongpoint (In terms of characters and plot), but the two arcs can be read in either order. However, Homura's arc in Akihabara likely won't happen for a while, so please be patient with that.

Until the next chapter, Besto out.


	2. Wake-up Call (Ribbon Chapter)

On the rooftop of a building in the middle of the city, the time machine landed on the roof. The two inside, Homura and Okabe, stepped out onto the floor.

Looking around, even though it was mostly the same city, it felt very different to him. The air, the sunshine, the floor below him, all different.

He was really back. It worked.

Okabe began taking a walk around, as Homura fiddled with her phone off in the distance and wrote things down.

"How far back did we go?" Okabe finally asked in excitement.

Homura stopped what she was doing, seeming to do a little mental calculating.

"Probably about 3 weeks, give or take". She continued with what she was doing, engrossed in her work. Of course, he could have easily gone over there and checked on what she was doing. There wasn't really anything stopping him from doing so either.

However, he was more than happy to just enjoy his DK Pepper on the rooftop.

Homura got up before walking up to him, small sheet of paper in hand.

"This sheet will tell you where to find me. I will be waking up in just over 16 hours from now. Do what you will until then, but make sure you're there when I wake up."

Okabe nodded his head, hearing her words carefully.

"I will make sure of it. Just do me a favor in return, aright?" He replied.

"Sure, what do you need from me?"

Okabe stopped himself, realizing he probably won't meet any of the lab members again. It crushed him a little, but he had to push on. For both their sakes.

"Take good care of me, of Mayuri, and of the lab. Please, make sure everyone gets through this safe and sound."

"Of course, I will make sure of it. I will make sure everyone gets through this." She replied. Something told him that it was as hard for her to leave him with her allies as it was for him.

The air was still for a moment, only the sounds of the city filling their ears.

"I guess this is where we part ways." She finally stated. "I'll be seeing you shortly, I guess."

Okabe got up, looking her in the eyes once more.

"You'll find me a few floors down. Make contact with me as soon as you can, and I'm sure you will make a great lab member."

"Same to you. Madoka can be a little of a handful, but I'm sure we'll find a way to save her." She responded. Homura opened the door, looking back at Okabe, both still smiling.

"Until we meet again…" Was all she said before the door closed behind her, and she was gone.

He was alone again, only the phone microwave beside him in a small bag to keep him company.

Okabe got up before heading to the elevators, not wanting to interfere with her and make things more complicated. As he sat in the elevator, he thought about just what kind of person this "Kaname Madoka" was.

It was nothing he hadn't dealt with before, though, right?

He struggled to find an answer as he hailed a nearby taxi, setting off to his new life in Mitakihara.

The whole ride there felt uneasy, though. Not the kind he should be feeling, but more the feeling that something was already wrong with this situation.

"I'm overthinking this. I'm just nervous, that's all." He said to himself with his usual laugh.

Somehow, it wasn't convincing.

* * *

Okabe double checked the address in his hand, looking at the building in front of him. He felt his heart drop a little.

"Um, are you sure this is the right place?" He asked the cab driver.

The driver simply gave him a dirty look. "Look, that's the address ya gave me. If ya don't like it, that's your problem, unless ya want to pay extra for the trip."

Okabe nervously backed off, the cap driver turning his head to face the road.

"That's what I thought." He said, driving off into the distance.

Okabe took a deep breath before walking into the hospital before instantly bumping into a young girl, both falling to the ground.

"I'm really sorry about that. Are you alright?" He asked the young girl.

The girl got up, CDs all over the floor below her.

"Miki. Sayaka Miki." She replied. "Sorry about bumping into you, sir, but could you help me pick these up?" She replied.

Okabe nodded before starting to pick them up, handing them to her one by one. He took a short look at each one as he handed them over.

"You're interested in classical music?"

Sayaka seemed a little startled before responding.

"No, no. They're for a friend of mine. He really like classical music…" She said, seeming to stop herself.

 _There's that feeling again…._

"What's in the bag? Is that...a microwave?" She asked curiously

Okabe looked to his hand, still holding the small bag.

"Sorry, but that's a secret. Future lab members only."

"Should probably be hiding it better, shouldn't you." She replied with a cold, yet smug look on her face. Okabe couldn't respond. He would need to find a better bag later, but for now, he had to meet his future partner.

"Out of curiosity, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm here to meet a girl, but I'm lost as to where to find her."

Sayaka looked at the little piece of paper, reading it over for a second.

"Akemi Homura, huh? She should be just down the hall from where I am, so we can take the elevator together, if you don't mind."

Okabe nodded, getting into the small elevator, watching the girl use it like it was nothing.

The elevator had an oddly futuristic feel to it, along with the rest of the city in front of him.

"First time here, I see?" She asked.

Okabe looked at her, only nodding slightly.

"Don't worry. You'll come to get used to it soon enough. It has a certain ar of...magic to it."

Okabe nodded nervously again. Sayaka rode the rest of the floors in silence before getting off seconds later.

Sayaka approached a room, a man simply laying on the bed, nearly lifeless.

"This is my stop. Yours is just down the hall and 3 rooms after your first right, left side. I'll be seeing you soon enough."

Okabe wanted to wave the girl goodbye and thank her for taking him here (even though he could have just asked anyone else), but felt that she wanted the time to herself, and with that, he left towards her room.

"Hey…"

Okabe looked back at the girl in the hallway.

"Do you want me to come see her, at least? Sorry for my curiosity." She asked.

Okabe shook his head.

"I'll be alright on my own, but thank you."

"No problem. Hope your friend enjoys those CDs of yours." He responded.

"Yeah." She said, somewhat coldly, before going off into her room. Okabe walked off towards his original destination, the room itself quickly coming into view.

The room itself was bleak and not too interesting, but it had a certain special air to it.

Okabe sat in the nearby chair, still feeling off, but he shook it away. He watched over the girl in the bed before slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Okabe woke up with the sound of a click, or more specifically, the click of a gun to his forehead.

Homura was standing in front of him, but she had a different look to her than before. Her hair was braided, a little hospital uniform covered her, and a pair of red glasses sat on her face.

He had to think quick.

" **I HOUOUIN KYOUMA, HAVE BEEN SENT BY YOUR FUTURE SELF TO ASSIST YOU IN PROTECTING THE GIRL YOU LOVE."** He proudly yelled to the sky, laughing.

There was a stillness, but not like before.

 _I am so dead…_

The girl thought for a moment, considering the situation, but still surprised.

"Prove it."

Okabe perked his ears. "What?"

"You heard me. If you really were sent by my future self, prove it to me or I'll shoot. Here and now."

Beads of sweat drifted across his head, now realizing she hadn't given him anything to actually prove who he was. Finally, he had an idea. It was a longshot, but he had to pray she had prepared for this.

"Check your phone." Was all he said to her.

Homura did as she was told, opening the phone without questions. A wide eyed look appeared across her face as she spent many minutes reading the message.

"What did the mail say?" Kyouma asked, the girl now lowering her weapon.

"It told me enough." Was all she responded. "Can that machine really send messages through time?"

Okabe nodded, feeling a sense of overwhelming pride, before hooking it up into a nearby outlet.

"This is gonna take a lot of power, but there should be enough here to use it." He said, typing in a simple message. Homura looked in curiosity and awe at the device, before Okabe sent the message. The world lines seemed to shift around them, oddly surprising Okabe. This shouldn't have produced a strong change.

Homura was unable to speak, simply standing there in shock.

"What did you do?" She asked. It was unsurprising to see that she had the gift to see between world lines, but that didn't matter right now.

"All I did was send a message to my past self to ask a girl I met in the hallway to meet you, but it shouldn't have changed things this much."

Homura walked towards a nearby desk before seeing a small classical CD on it.

"Who was that girl that you met?" She asked.

"I think her name was Sayaka…" He stopped, looking over at Homura, who seemed to let herself smile.

"Well, get used to her. You're gonna be seeing her a lot." She said to him. "Looks like this will be a fun timeline after all."

And with that, she put down the CD before walking to the door.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We have a girl to protect." She said to him, undoing her braids and glasses. Okabe stopped her.

"I think it looks good on you." He said.

And with that, Homura stopped, gazing back on the girl in the mirror.

"Yeah...it does."

* * *

And with that, the second chapter and first part to my "Ribbon Chapter" is finished. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you continue to enjoy it.

And with that, Besto out.


	3. First Meetings (Ribbon Chapter)

**A few hours before…**

Sayaka got out of Kyousuke's room, thanking him for allowing her to see him, before closing the door and pounding her fist against the door.

 _Why...why couldn't it have been me in that accident? Why can't I be in that hospital bed, listening to such graceful performances? He's so much more talented than me anyways…_

Her thoughts continued for a while, but not before blood began dripping along the wall.

 _And what's beating myself up going to solve? Is it gonna make him happy? Is it gonna fix him?_

 _If only it would…_

Calming herself down, she made her way down the hall. It really was nice of the man to let her visit, though it was of course nerve wracking. Nervously, she opened the door. It looked like most of the others she had seen here, nothing too special, but her eyes focused in on the girl on the bed.

She wore braided black hair with red glasses, and a cute face almost her own age. Sayaka began playing with her own hair, but it was far too short to braid like she had.

On her side, the man she had met earlier, fast asleep beside her. He wore a white lab coat over his body, with what appeared to be the beginnings of a beard.

 _How old is he…_

Sayaka felt herself trip on something, falling to the floor once again. Getting up with a little wince, she looked at what she had tripped on.

The bag...

She looked back at the man, still fast asleep, before looking into the bag. A peek couldn't hurt, after all. Taking the mysterious object out, it turned out it was just a normal microwave.

"So I got myself worked up for nothing…" She said to herself with a laugh. Taking a look at it, a note was taped to the back of it, folded up. She attempted to resist her extreme curiosity, but her resistance wasn't enough.

She started by unfolding the first segment, which only showed the words "Phone Microwave" on it. Was this a startup project? But why would anyone use this?

She continued reading, unfolding the next segment.

"Property of Future Gadget Laboratories." what kind of name was that? She looked back at the man, still sleeping. A little more won't hurt.

She unfolded the next segment, now dropping to the floor. There was no way…

Regaining composure, she stood back up. There was no way such a device could exist.

Still, there was no way he would keep something like this such a secret if it was just some foolish joke.

From behind her, the man rustled in his sleep. She needed more info, that was for sure. Sayaka put back the device and the note before getting ready to leave.

"Oh, I should thank him for letting me see her" She said to herself again..

Sayaka put one of the CDs on a nearby desk, the least she could do

"I look forward to seeing you again. Hope you like classical." She said before closing the door to their room.

* * *

Outside the hospital, Sayaka looked off, seeing Madoka asleep on a bench nearby. She forgot that she would wait for her while she looked after Kyousuke. She approached her before giving her a short shake.

"Hey, Madoka."

The sleeping girl slowly opened her eyes, probably having slept for a while.

"Saya...ka…" Madoka dazily said. "Where were...you?"

"Sorry. Kyousuke enjoyed the company, and I met another girl while I was up there?" She replied. She considered whether to include that device, but decided against it. She didn't hide it well enough, getting questionable glances from Madoka, before she decided not to pry further.

"She's okay, though. Apparently, she's supposed to be discharged from the hospital in a few days, so let's all have a celebration when she gets out.

Madoka nodded. "And we can have a big cake to go with it too. I'm sure mom will be happy to help with the celebration. She always likes any excuse to have fun.

"Then it's settled. We'll visit her tomorrow and set up the party." Sayaka excitedly said. "It's getting late, though, so we should head back to your place. I'll race you there, she said before bolting towards her house. "Don't wait up."

"S-Sayaka chaan…" Madoka yelled, attempting to beat her back.

* * *

Homura sat in Madoka's room many days later, the big celebration in preparation.

"So, Homura-chan, you're starting school in a few days? That's amazing." Madoka excitedly said. "You'll have a great time."

For the first time in many timelines, Homura was genuinely nervous. She was actually getting close to her.

"Y-yeah. It'll be lots of fun." She replied. 'I'm sure we'll be great friends." She replied.

" _Maybe this time, she'll take my warning more seriously, seeing that we're actually becoming friends."_ She thought to herself.

"You're gonna love it. Sayaka is lots of fun, even if she can be a little lazy sometimes." Madoka laughed a little, and for the first time, Homura laughed along with her.

"Hitomi is a smart girl, and I'm sure you'll get along just fine." She added. "It's strange. I feel like I've met you before." She added.

"I just have one of those faces, I guess."

Madoka examined her a little more, not quite satisfied, before Sayaka stumbled into the room.

"Hey, Okabe. I wanted to thank you for introducing us to Homura. Can you come outside for a moment?"

Okabe got up, having watched all this transpire, though a little unsure.

"Come on, don't be so nervous, Okabe. Give these two lovebirds some time alone." She smugly said, making the motion of going in for a kiss. Both of them blushed, seeming to back away a little further. Sayaka laughed before closing the door, and before Okabe could realize what was happening, Sayaka had a death grip on his neck.

"Hey, what the-" She put her hand to his mouth, giving the look that she wasn't fooling around.

"I want you to either nod or shake your head. You understand?" She asked.

Okabe nodded.

"Good. Now, can that device you had really send messages to the past?"

Okabe nodded. How did she know of it?

"Alright, so you're not fooling around. Now, do you have that device anywhere on you?"

Okabe shook his head. She seemed to take a moment to consider this.

"I want you to let me use it." She demanded.

Okabe shook his head. Her death grip grew tighter.

"That wasn't a question. Care to give another answer?"

Okabe, reluctantly, nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll let them know that we went out for a while together."

Sayaka went in, seeming to instantly put on a smile like nothing happened.

Once again, he was alone.

 _So much potential…_

Okabe looked around. Sayaka was still inside with them, and there was nobody around…

"H-hello?" He asked.

No reply.

A flock of birds flying off interrupted the silence before Sayaka came out of the house.

"Alright. Take me to that device of yours."

* * *

An hour passed, and Homura and Madoka were walking home from the mall. It had been her idea to get out for a while like Okabe and Sayaka.

"Listen, can I tell you something?" Madoka asked.

Homura nodded, just finishing off a smoothie she had been sucking dry for a while.

"Go ahead. What would you like to say?" She responded.

Madoka seemed to take a moment to compose herself before continuing.

"I...just have this strong feeling I've met you before, and I really wants to be friends with you."

Homura nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"I mean, it's almost like the two of us were destined to meet, if you believe in that" She said.

"Maybe it is fate that we met each other." Homura replied, smiling.

"What I really wanted to say, Homura, is that I'm glad I met you, and I hope we can still…"

Homura felt the world lines changing, the timeline reorganizing itself to fit what's changed.

Madoka was gone.

"No...no...NOOOOO"

Homura fell to the ground, barely able to speak.

"It's...It's not fair…" She barely managed to get out. "I was finally...happy…"

Homura got up, though reluctantly, before walking out of the mall. She could feel her soul gem blackening. She didn't care.

Walking along the empty street, lit only by the occasional dim lamp, she looked across to see Madoka.

"Oh, thank goodness, Madoka. I was so worried you were gone from my life again, but I swear. We can be the best of friends, changing the world together like never before."

The girl seemed to pause for a moment, the darkness covering them over.

"I'm sorry, but...do I know you?" she asked with a terrified expression.

Homura backed away before stopping herself. She was not gonna let this chance slip. Not again.

"It's me, Homura. You and Sayaka were holding a party to celebrate me getting discharged from the hospital, remember?" She had to remember. A faint memory. Something.

Nothing was said for a long time. Finally, Madoka approached her. This was it…

"I don't know who you are, but that party is for Sayaka and Sayaka alone."

Homura stood confused, and before she could reach out to her, she had her phone in hand.

"If you're stalking me, I'll call the police. Please don't follow me again." Homura knew she wouldn't do it, but she backed off anyways, the only sound she could hear being the sound of running footsteps, far out of her vision.

 _What a great start this has been._ She thought to herself, the thought of strangling Okabe the only thing on her mind.

* * *

Third chapter done

I'll try to keep a steady upload schedule, but that might not always be possible. However, I hope you continue to enjoy reading, and thank you for the feedback.

And with that, Besto out.


	4. My Pain for You (Ribbon Chapter)

"I can explain…"

Homura stared down Okabe, the giant pendulum in the background giving him an uneasy feeling. Not that her stern face and the fact that she was ready to go into a volcanic outburst at the first chance she got didn't already give him that feeling, but none of it really helped.

Okabe cleared his throat, Homura getting more and more impatient by the moment.

"Well?" she asked, her blood probably boiling as of now.

"I don't know how she figured out about the phone microwave and what it does, but she forced me to let her use it. I don't know what she did, but it somehow drastically changed the timeline."

Homura thought this over for a moment before a lightbulb went off in her head.

"I know what she did. There is nothing else I could see her using that device for."

Okabe tilted his head a little.

"Mind explaining what exactly she did?" He asked her. Homura ignored him, seemingly in deep thought about this, only the occasional 'yes' to herself and a nod being the only indication that she was actually thinking.

"To answer your question, the simple answer is that she saved the life of someone dear to her, and as a result, she never met the two of us." She replied.

"So we're back to square one, then…" Okabe laid down, exasperated.

"Not necessarily. In fact, this may actually work out for the betterment of both of us. Only time will tell, I guess."

Okabe was about to ask further before Homura stood to meet his eyes.

"Now, get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, after all."

Homura made her way into a nearby bedroom, leaving Okabe to take to take the other one. As he drifted to sleep, however, an uneasy feeling he couldn't describe kept on his mind.

 _Potential…_

* * *

Madoka took another piece of cake, her third one that night. On any other night, her mom would probably be mad at her for eating so much, but tonight, she only urged her to celebrate.

"Hey, Madoka, don't hog all the cake for yourself. No use plumping yourself up, right?" Sayaka joked from across the room. Madoka turned around before looking down at herself.

"You're one to talk, Sayaka. That's your fourth slice, isn't it?" Madoka asked, smiling a little.

Sayaka tried to look for an escape, finding none in the process, before looking down at herself.

"I'm the hero of the party, aren't I?" She asked, sticking another bite of cake into her mouth.

Kyousuke stood next to Sayaka, holding her by the back of her wheelchair. Nobody had wanted to bring it up, but it was still there, in front of them all.

"Are you sure it's okay to be talking like this, like nothing happened?" Madoka asked.

None of them spoke.

"Don't worry about it, Madoka. I'm just lucky to be alive after what happened, though it looks like my phys-ed marks will drop a little, won't it?" She asked, attempting a laugh. "Imagine how bad it could have been had that truck hit Kyousuke."

More silence.

"It'll take some getting used to, but I'm sure you'll do great. I'm rooting for you." Kyousuke said, pumping her up.

"Yeah. If this is what fate wanted, then I will take it and show them what I got." Sayaka made a punching motion. "When life gives you lemons, squirt it in their eyes. That's what I say."

Both of them seemed to laugh, though reluctantly. Madoka looked up at the time.

"Ahh, it's so late. I have to go, or I'll fall asleep in class again."

Sayaka smirked at her panicking expression before Kyousuke stepped in.

"That means you too. Don't you have a lot of catching up to do?" He asked. Sakaka lost her smirk, instead replaced with panic.

"I'll just take notes off Hitomi. She'll know what she's doing." She replied, making her way to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Madoka."

Madoka waved them goodbye before going off to bed, the mysterious girl still on her mind.

"Who was she…" was all she asked herself before drifting off.

* * *

Her dream was a weird one.

Madoka ran along tiled floors, making her way to a weird exit. She stood high above the city, that mysterious girl still in her memory, but was she...firing rockets?

The girl seemed to dart in every direction, moving one place to the next.

 _She's not going to last._

Madoka looked down, a little white cat in her vision.

 _You have the power to prevent it, you know. This disaster. It all exists within you._

"Madoka, no. Don't listen to him." The girl yelled in the distance.

"I...can be of use to someone?"

The cat nodded. "Of course. All you have to do is make a wish."

Before Madoka could recite her wish, however, she felt the world around her turn on itself, and she was back in her bedroom, sunlight filtering through the windows.

"I've got to lay off the sugar before bed…" She said to herself. Walking downstairs, Junko was passed out on the table, leftover cake in front of her, Tatsuya hitting her leg.

"Mama….mama….mamaaaa…" He chanted. Madoka shook her arms, slowly waking up.

"Eh? Is it morning already?" She asked, looking down at herself. "Ah, I'm a mess. I can't go to work like this." She rushed upstairs, Madoka following her, as dad picked tomatoes in the garden.

 _Those two…_

Minutes later, the two of them stood in the washroom, getting themselves ready.

"So, it looks like Sayaka and Kyousuke are working well together. They make such a great pairing, after all."

Junko nodded. "The two of them can survive anything that comes their way." She added. "How's Saotome?"

"She just hit the 3 month point with her boyfriend. You think they will last?" She asked.

"3 months can be a rocky time in a relationship, but if they can last through that, I'm sure they can last another year, at least." She responded.

Madoka nodded, looking at the two ribbons on the table. Junko handed her the red one off of it.

"They'll adore you in that." She said with a wink. "Trust me."

Madoka blushed a little as she tied the ribbon into her hair. She looked into the mirror before deciding she was satisfied and making her way downstairs.

The toast was dry, but tasted good. She lost track of time and only noticed the time when her mom left for work.

Madoka bolted out the door, half eaten toast in hand, rushing off to school. On the way, she met Sayaka, Hitomi wheeling her down the streets.

"Hey, Madoka, did all that partying last night make you lose track of time? I'm gonna have to punish you for that." Sayaka rushed forward to grab her, but couldn't reach as Madoka stepped back.

There was a dead air.

"D-don't worry about that, Madoka. I'll just go after Hitomi." With a quick turn, Sayaka had Hitomi in front of her, with her only having a split second to react, but it was too late. Sayaka already had her and was going for her most vulnerable and ticklish spots.

"S-stop...I-I can't breathe…" She said through her laughter. Sayaka was relentless, however, and continued her assault. She knew exactly where to target.

"Um…" Madoka started.

The two stopped, only noticing the students walking past them.

"We'll settle this later, and next time, I'll go full force on you."

The three of them continued forward, their laughter ringing through the city around them.

* * *

All of them sat in the classroom, Saotome at the front.

"Tell me, which is better? Roast beef or ham on your sandwich?" She aksed one of the students at the front.

The student stood up, unsure about what to say.

"I'd say both are fine, as long as you prepare them with love." He replied.

Saotome pointed at him.

"That's right, and for all the boys in this room, you shouldn't grow up to fuss over what's on your sandwich." She responded angrily. She cleared her throat, going back to her friendly demeanor. "Now, with that out of the way, I have two announcements. First, due to Sayaka's condition, she will be allowed the use of the elevators, as well as other special arrangements which will be made shortly."

Everyone looked at Sayaka, sitting at the back of the room with a makeshift desk.

"Like I said, could be worse." She whispered.

She continued.

"Second, we have a new transfer student with us today. Come on in." She asked to the person waiting at the door.

Madoka instantly felt a chill down her spine when she saw the new girl. Sayaka and Hitomi seemed to notice this.

"My name is Homura Akemi. Nice to meet you." She stated. Saotome put her name up on the board before Homura corrected her.

"Homura has had a heart condition, and has been in the hospital the past few weeks, os she'll need catching up."

Madoka wasn't listening to what she was saying, but was rather paying attention to the girl. She shot her a look, and she turned her head, only getting a glimpse of what seemed to be longing.

She shoved the thought as classes continued throughout the day. Homura scored well on every question, getting every single one right. By lunch, everyone was crowding around her, asking her all manner of questions.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling so good. Can I go to the nurse's office?" She asked, holding her head.

"Um, I'll take you there. I'm the nurse's aide for this class." Madoka nervously replied. Homura stood up, walking with her even though she knew the way already.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have threatened to call the police." Madoka said.

"It's fine. I've just...haven't had many friends throughout my life." She replied. Maybe this timeline could work out, but now was not the time. In one swift move, Homura turned around to face Madoka.

"Kaname Madoka, do you value those that are close to you?" Homura asked.

Madoka simply stared at her.

"Of course I do, but...why are you crying?"

Homura was sent back, wiping the tears from her eyes. No, that had to wait.

"In that case, you wouldn't want to change the person you are if it meant losing them, right?"

Madoka nodded her head.

"Good. Please take my warning, then. Don't change who you are." She replied, walking off with the hint of a smile, Madoka in confusion again.

 _I will succeed this time. I will make sure of it._

* * *

Another one done. It looks like I'll end up following through on this one after all, so expect this to go on a while. (How long a 'while is', I have no idea, but I'm working that one out). In any case, thank you for your continued reading.\

With that, Besto out.


	5. Radiance (Ribbon Chapter)

By the time school was over, Homura had succeeded in making friends with Madoka. She had talked a lot of her own life, along with Sayaka and Hitomi (most of the details I already knew, but she didn't need to know that). She seemed to avoid Sayaka and her accident, something I actually had wanted to get to know of, but I wasn't gonna push the issue.

"Hey, Homura. I was wondering if you wanted to come to the CD shop with us. Sayaka wanted to pick up a gift for Kyousuke." Madoka asked. I wasn't about to resist the offer, but a sickening dread came over me.

"I'll...come, but I'd like to bring someone along with me." She replied. Ske knew Okabe wouldn't be doing anything today, and he deserved to at least get a sight of what he was getting into.

"Sounds good. Who do you want to bring along?" Sayaka asked.

"His name is Okabe…" She stopped herself, realizing she didn't have an alias set up for him. It would be weird if she said it was for personal reasons.

They looked at her with confusion, but seemed to accept it before walking out the door of the school. Within 15 minutes, Okabe walked up to the three girls waiting at the entrance. Homura nervously got up, standing beside him and facing Madoka and Sayaka, both in interest.

"This is Okabe. He is…" Homura nudged him in the back, out of view of the other girls. Her mind drew blanks, so she would just go with whatever he said.

"Sorry. My dear sister can get flustered. Okabe Akemi. Nice to meet you."

" _Anything but that!"_ She thought.

"Y-yes. Sorry about that. Thank you, dear brother, for introducing yourself. Okabe felt a kick in the knee at the word "brother". Okabe turned to her with a look that said "you asked for it".

"Wow, Homura-chan. I didn't know you had a brother. Why did he never come up?" Madoka asked with fascination.

"He doesn't usually come up in conversation." She replied with another silent kick. Homura could feel her face going red, Sayaka already with her camera out.

"Smile for the camera." She said with a smug look.

The four began to walk to the mall, Homura and Okabe trailing behind.

"Why did you want me to come along again?" Okabe asked.

"I thought it would be a good idea for you to see what you're getting yourself into. Plus, depending on how things go, I may need your help in solving problems that might arise." She replied.

Okabe simply sighed.

"You know how to use the Phone Microwave, don't you? You don't need me for that, my dear nee-chan." He put extra emphasis on the last bit, forcing her to refrain from breaking a few bones.

"I don't mean problems with timelines." She replied, handing him a gun. "It's likely that I'll be around Madoka and Sayaka for the time being. If you see a white cat, don't hesitate to blow its head open. You got it?"

Okabe nodded, though reluctantly, before starting to continue forward with the rest of the group.

"One more thing, Okabe." Homura said before he left her.

Okabe turned his head to look her in the eyes, feeling an instant sense of dread and fear.

"If you call me _that_ again, I'll make sure you wake up in the hospital bed you found me in." She stated.

Okabe turned back to face the rest, a hard laugh preceding him, before meeting up with the other two girls. Before she could keep walking, Madoka ran beside her, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her forward.

" _Yes...this is where I belong…_ "

* * *

The CD shop was as packed as she always remembered, though it felt much different this time.

' _Maybe it's because I'm here with them?_ " She thought to herself. " _Or is it the fact that all of this is happening despite Kyousuke being saved?_ "

More sickening thoughts spiraled through her head. " _Does this mean that certain outcomes are inevitable? Does that mean…_ "

She shook the thought from her mind. No. Madoka's fate could be changed. She was sure of it.

Lost in the thought, Homura took a look around before her heart began to fall.

Madoka and Sayaka were missing.

Homura called in to Okabe. No response.

 _Shit…_

Homura bolted for the storage room, finding the labyrinth in the process. Madoka and Sayaka stood at the center, surrounded by witch servants, Okabe petrified in the corner with only the handgun to comfort him.

Before she could make a bolt for them, a girl pushed her off to the side, and with a voice all-too-familiar to her, said:

"I've got this one. Just sit back and watch."

The girl began to transform, muskets appearing out of the sky beside her.

An angelic figure, clad in yellow.

It had been so long since she could describe Tomoe Mami as radiant, but she could now understand why she filled Madoka and Sayaka with hope. She did her work with grace and elegance, something she lost a long time ago. Musket after musket fired, destroying each and every servant in its path. A few short moments later, the labyrinth disappeared, Mami dropping to the ground in front of them.

"Are you alright? That must have been scary for you.'

Madoka and Sayaka nodded their heads, Okabe barely moving from what he just saw.

Homura looked over at him, making sure he was alright, before she noticed something:

Kyubey wasn't in sight this time.

Mami took a look around for the white cat, finding nothing. She turned to Okabe, holding the gun in his hand.

"Sorry. I was terrified, and the gun was lying around. I shot him out of fear." He responded.

Mami sighed, looking at the two girls who in turn looked back at her with wonder.

"I guess it would be rude of me not to explain things, so I'll take you back to my apartment." She said to them. The two immediately accepted, following her to the exit alongside Okabe. Homura went to leave with them before, but within a split second, all she could see was a musket barrel.

"I'll let you come along, but I don't trust you." She angrily stated. "I can feel that you're hiding something, and I don't like it."

"I understand. You don't have to like me. However, know that we are not on equal footing"

Mami reluctantly lowered the gun, still with a stern expression over her face.

"That's a lot of pride in your skills." Sh said, following the rest of the group out the door.

* * *

"Wow, Homura-chan, you're a magical girl too?"

Homura put her soul gem onto the table, Madoka's eyes glistening in response. She had spent the past hour listening to Mami speak of magical girls, about the wishes, about what it takes to be one. She even went into surprising detail about Kyubey, almost making her wonder if not killing kyubey would have changed anything.

Sayaka looked Mami in the eye, catching her attention.

"Would it be possible to repair my legs using a wish?"

"Of course, but think hard about it. You don't want to use your one wish rashly." Homura mostly ignored the conversation, looking off at Mami's interest in Madoka, before Okabe raised a question.

'Would it be possible for me to become one?" He asked.

Homura stood still, not making eye contact. She had never even considered this possibility.

"In general, it's usually teenage girls that get contracted, but magical boys aren't uncommon to see as well. Why do you ask?"

"Well, there's a girl I know...and she's going through troubled times. Would it be possible to save her?"

Homura did her best to not attack him for saying such things, though it was difficult.

"There's no rule against it, but I wouldn't recommend it unless it's something you really want."

Before Okabe could speak, Homura stopped time around her.

 _30 seconds._

Approaching Okabe, she touched him, bringing him into her world.

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

Homura held him by his hand, looking into his eyes.

"Please, please, please...don't make that contract. Trust in me that this is a bad idea."

 _20 seconds._

"I will make my wish to save Madoka and Mayuri. I can save both of them.'

 _15 seconds._ Homura gripped him harder.

"The way you are doing this, you will save nobody. Do you get it?"

Okabe went in to counter her, but instead kept his mouth shut.

 _10 seconds_

"Good. Don't say anything of this conversation to anyone. You got it?" She said, not waiting for his answer. Homura simply let go of him before heading back to her original spot, time around them restarting. For a moment, Mami looked back at her with a questionable look, but decided not to press further.

"Tomorrow, we begin our first witch hunt. Hope you're all prepared."

All of faces in the room were filled with a mix of excitement and fear, but they were pumped regardless. There was no stopping them anymore, unless…

Okabe looked into her this time, telling her the answer to exactly what she was thinking. Homura decided it would be best to not to anything that might annoy him.

Later that night, Madoka and Sayaka went up to the guest room, having gotten permission to stay the night at her place.

Mami and Homura were alone.

"You did something to your brother there, didn't you?" Mami asked, the two of them eating the leftover cake.

"That is none of your concern." Homura responded.

"It is my concern. If we're working together, we should be open with each other"

Homura stuck another bite of cake into her mouth.

"Really? You tell me to be open, yet you keep your mouth shut about a certain Sakura Kyoko. Why might that be?"

The sound of a fork dropping to the floor was all the answer she needed.

"You should watch your mouth a little more. Someday, I may accidently misfire, and that would end up being such a waste."

Homura got up, facing her with a look of burning determination.

"When that day comes, I'd like to see you try." She responded with nothing more, making her way to her room and leaving a stunned girl to figure out what just happened.

* * *

Glad you're still reading this. I hope you're all continuing to enjoy it, so until the next chapter…

Besto out.


	6. Limitations (Ribbon Chapter)

The next day, Kyousuke was approached by Sayaka. She wheeled over to him, hands shaky, before taking a slow breath.

"So, I don't have anything to do to do later today. Do you want to...do something together? Just the two of us?" She asked. This was a lie, of course. She had told Mami that she was going on a witch hunt with her tonight, but it had been so long since she had a moment like this.

"Actually, I had planned to meet Hitomi after school to help her study. We were going to go to the cafe nearby, but you can come along if you want to.'

It wasn't an ideal proposal, but she could always talk to him after, and she was sure he wouldn't mind staying a little longer. Sayaka held a classical CD behind her on her chair, tied with a ribbon and good paper. She stopped to notice Kyousuke's face, which had changed to a face of questioning.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned.

"No, everything is okay. I just seem to remember that the elevator was being repaired, and…" Nothing more needed to be said. She was more than aware.

"It's fine, it's fine. We can hang out together another time. When are you free next?"

"Actually…" He began, seeming to think about the best way to put his thoughts. "I've got a recital in a few weeks that I need to practice for. I won't be free until after the performance."

"Oh." Sayaka replied, trying to fake a smile. "Well, before then, at least let me tell you something." She reached behind her back for the CD before Kyousuke's phone began to ring.

"Sorry, I need to take this. I'll be quick." He said before putting the phone to his year. "Yes….yes….alright….alright….be there in 10….bye…" Kyousuke hung up before giving an apologetic look to Sayaka.

"I'm really sorry. I lost track of time, and Hitomi is waiting. I really have to go." He said before beginning to run off.

'Wait." Sayaka shouted, but he was already down the stairs before she could move. She felt herself grip the CD tighter. Before she could yell out into the empty hallway, she felt Madoka's hand over her.

"Homura and Okabe have already gone back to Mami's apartment, and I was about to go there as well. Are you still coming?"

Sayaka nodded, attempting to repress her emotions of her encounter. "Come on, Madoka. If we move fast enough, we may still beat them." She said, wheeling off towards the elevators, Madoka in tow.

* * *

Soon after they got to her apartment, the 5 began planning.

"The witch we fought yesterday should still be around somewhere in Mitakihara. I say we go after it tonight. Does everyone agree?" Mami asked, sipping slowly on a mug of tea in the process.

"Sounds good. It should be a good learning experience for these three." Homura added, relaxing by the small table. The remaining 3 unanimously agreed to the idea, though the air was tense.

"I can see you're all nervous" Mami stated. 'And that is far from a bad thing. This is a dangerous job, so I recommend finding something to help defend yourself.'

'Way ahead of you." Sayaka replied, pulling a large bat from her bag.

'It's good that you're going in with that kind of mindset." Mami stated. "Okabe, what did you bring?"

Okabe pulled a gun from behind him, putting it on the table. "Homura lent me this to help me protect myself.'

Madoka gave a worried glance to the two of them.

"Homura-chan, why do you have a gun?" She asked, seemingly scared but intrigued at the metal object.

Homura didn't respond, mostly because the answer might end up with soldiers at her doorstep.

"Well...I brought this…" She said, sliding a notebook across the table. Everyone tried their best to hold back their laughter.

"It's costume ideas...for if I ever become a magical girl." Now, everyone was full out laughing as they flipped through the notebook.

"Well, that's one kind of mindset to go into this with." Mami stated before getting up. "Alright, everyone. Let's take this witch down."

* * *

"Are you feeling alright?"

Sayaka looked up to see Okabe walking alongside her. Mami and Homura walked far ahead, Madoka walking alongside them in incredible curiosity, despite Homura's best efforts to silently shut her out.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I've had a long day, that's all." She replied. She didn't want to go in-depth about her love problems with anyone right now, never mind someone he met a day ago.

That wasn't the response she got. Instead, she saw him laugh into the sky, somewhat maniacally. She scooched over on her chair, pushing herself to the side.

"Girl, you can lie to me and to my face, but you can't lie to yourself. Have you noticed that your hands are pale white?" He asked.

She looked down to notice that he was right. She had been gripping the wheels much harder than she thought. She looked up to see him with a look that suad "I told you so". Sayaka rolled forward to join the rest of the group, leaving Okabe behind everyone else.

 _It's not his problem. It's not his business what I do with my life. I don't care if I'm tense. Me and these useless legs. If I hadn't been in that accident, I could have-_

It took her a moment to realize that everyone had stopped a while back, all of them with worried expressions.

"I'm just so excited to go into battle. You don't need to worry about me." She said. Before any of them could speak, Mami leapt into the air, securing a woman falling from the building with a mass of ribbons. She approached the woman, lifting her hair off her neck.

"A witch's kiss. It's nearby." Mami stated.

Sayaka tilted her head.

"Witch kiss?"

"It's the indicator that they're affected by a witch. I explained this to you on the way here, don't you remember?" She responded with a worried glance. 'Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Sayaka responded with an angry tone.

Nothing more was said as the 5 walked into the labyrinth. Mami touched Sayaka's bat and Okabe's gun, magically enhancing them.

"It's not much, but it should be enough to ward off any immediate threats." Throughout the time, they moved through the labyrinth, killing familiar after familiar.

"Back, back. Get off me!" Sayaka attacked in bursts of rage, killing familiar after familiar in her path. Homura approached Okabe, slowly killing the familiars he came across.

"Do me a favor, Okabe. Help her out and lessen her load. I don't think she's okay." Homura asked. Okabe looked over to find Sayaka battering one nearby with an expression of rage on her face.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand.' He responded, putting a stream of bullets into the familiars crowding her. Finally, however, they made it to the center of the labyrinth. Mami and Homura jumped down into the pit, nodding in unison. Mami stepped on a small flower, causing the witch to turn around and face the two girls. Madoka looked onto the two with worry, but somehow knew it would be alright.

With a quick turn, she fired a shot into an approaching familiar, her other arm getting her rear, before summoning another 3 to take down a few more nearby. Mami then performed a backwards cartwheel hitting another 2 above her.

Meanwhile, Homura stopped time, pulling a set of bombs from her stockpile, leaping around the battlefield and throwing them into the familiars before landing beside Mami again. Restarting time, them bombs quickly did their work, sending a flurry of explosions into the battlefield. She looked to see one of the bombs right in front of her, falling to the ground, Mami watching with a mix of horror, confusion, stress, and fear.

 _Shit...I miscalculated…_

The bomb blew up in front of them, sending the two of them into the wall. Mami shot another few approaching her, but it was obvious it did a great deal to her. Without her notice, the witch grabbed her by the leg, sending her into the air above it.

"Don't worry...I can't look bad….in front of my future magical girl juniors.." She said with a weakened voice. Mami undid her ribbons using them to cut off her restraints before flying into the sky. Her ribbons turned into a gun bigger than she was, aiming it towards the witch.

 **TIRO…**

Time stopped once more, Homura firing everything she had into the witch, a stream of bullets meant to immobilize it. Leaping into the air to get it from above, she felt time naturally reset itself. Homura fell through the air, looking into the barrel of Mami's musket.

 **FINALE!**

Homura leapt mid-flight, the blast barely scraping her, but it was enough to really hurt. Homura hit the ground alongside a tired Mami, both looking at each other with annoyed looks.

"Wow...that was…" Madoka didn't finish, not even sure of what to say.

Mami was the first to get up off the ground, approaching the girl on the ground. Homura went to walk with her before she stopped in her tracks.

"I'll handle this myself." She said coldly. "Don't want an explosion killing the girl were trying to protect, now do we?"

Homura couldn't find how to respond, and just did what she asked instead, making sure the remainder was okay as well, while Mami checked on the girl.

"It's okay, everyone. I'm...fine…" Homura collapsed to the floor, barely able to move, as the others worriedly rushed to her aid.

* * *

Okabe picked up an unconscious Homura, still breathing soundly.

"She's okay. I'm sure a little rest will help her." Okabe stated.

Mami had been nice enough to hear the more open damage on her body, but still looked at her with a stern expression.

"She's so reckless, but practice should help us get better." Madoka and Sayaka silently nodded, though all were aware that this was far from a good introduction. The four of them walked together, Mami turning off towards her own apartment and Okabe towards his house.

Soon, it was just Madoka and Sayaka.

"That was so cool" Madoka began. "Mami-san's final attack at the end, Homura-chan blowing things up left and right…"

Sayaka made the occasional "yes", but something else had caught her attention.

It was Hitomi. She walked along a nearby street, just out of view of the two of them, but she was sure it was her. Sayaka thought to catch up to her and say hi, but a part of her felt off.

"...But I'm sure if they keep being friends, they will be unstoppable. Don't you agree?" Madoka finished.

"Oh...of course. There is no way that duo will ever lose, isn't there?" She replied. Sayaka looked off to find Hitomi, only to see that she disappeared into the darkness.

 _Probably for the better. I don't want to be angry at her._

Madoka stopped in front of her house, Sayaka realizing that she hadn't even paid attention to where she was.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Sayaka. Make sure you get a good rest."

"Yeah, you too, Madoka. We have some big days coming up."

With that, Madoka left into her house with a smile on her face and a likely worried mother, leaving Sayaka alone.

By the time she got home that night, her hands were white again.

* * *

Thank you for reading. I think with this chapter, I've now hit 10K words in this story, which is a nice milestone for someone who abandons every big project they start. I hope to be able to hit 50K at some point, but that's still a ways away.

For now, though, Besto out.


	7. Cryptic Messages (Ribbon Chapter)

Homura jolted out of bed, mildly confused at first before noticing she was back in her bed. Beside her, Okabe tinkered with the phone microwave.

"How long have I been out?" She asked, now noticing that she didn't actually know just what time it was.

"12 hours, at least. I didn't know how to use your soul gem, so I brought you back here to heal naturally." He responded. "You took quite a beating during that fight, though, so I wouldn't start moving around too much."

Ignoring his advice, Homura got up off the bed before nearly falling to the floor. Upon inspection, she noticed that her legs were charred and her leggings torn. She picked up her soul gem off the nearby table, slowly healing her wounds before she could walk again. Homura made her way to the door before Okabe grabbed her by her uniform.

"Where are you going?"

She shoved him off, continuing towards the door.

"You know Mami is still pissed off at you, right? You may have forgiven her after a quick healing, but she hasn't." He stated. "You were careless. You wanted to show off, but it backfired."

She continued to ignore him.

"What would you have done if that had been Sayaka or Madoka that had been carelessly blown up? What if it had been me?"

Homura looked back at the device behind him, leaving him in shock.

"This device isn't a damn toy, you know, and you shouldn't be so careless just because you have it. There are consequences to your actions, unforeseen butterfly effects, heavy dangers. You of all people should know this better than anyone.."

"As long as you and Madoka are safe and happy, I'll push through anything in my path." Before she could leave, Okabe stopped her one more time.

"I don't know what you've been through to give you that kind of outlook on life, but it's going to backfire on you eventually. Know that."

And with that, she was gone, Okabe left to be strangely touched by her twisted sense of morality.

* * *

With a final shot, Mami shot down the familiar, Madoka and Sayaka left in awe as the witch labyrinth transformed back into the park.

"Wow, Mami-san. You really know how to fight, don't you?" Madoka asked. Mami felt an overwhelming sense of pride, but attempted to hide it, if somewhat poorly.

"Indeed. I've been fighting witches for a long time now, and it's almost second nature by this point." She looked off at Sayaka, who appeared distant.

"Sayaka?" She called out to her. She was unresponsive, instead looking off somewhere into the distance. Madoka approached Sayaka, ending up just behind her.

"Are...you okay?"

She looked up at the girl in pink before putting on a smile.

"Yeah, sorry. I've have a lot to think about lately, so I'm a little out of things, but I'm fine. Don't worry."Nobody was convinced. Eventually, Mami stepped in.

"I think it might be good for you two to get some rest. You've both been up so late lately, and it's not healthy." She stated.

Kyubey jumped onto Sayaka's shoulder, now in view of both.

"I agree with Mami. Magical girls can do this pretty well without sleep, but for normal humans, you'll still need rest."

Madoka nodded before wheeling Sayaka towards her house. When both of them were out of view, Mami quickly lost her smile.

"Do you mind telling me why you're here?"

Homura stood across from her, having come from just out of view.

"I want to talk with you, peacefully." She answered. This wasn't exactly true, but not exactly false either.

"Oh, you want to talk peacefully, do you?" She asked, her voice filled with sarcasm, something she hadn't seen for many timelines. "What do you want to talk about? The fact that you've been supplying weapons to your friend to get Kyubey out of the picture?"

Homura was taken aback, attempting to find a way to respond.

"Funny thing: The moment that your friend was taking care of you, Kyubey started showing up. I didn't much of it at first, until I realized that he used a gun supplied by you."

"That's-" Mami cut her off.

"Or maybe you want to talk about the fact that you recklessly threw bombs on the battlefield, recklessly endangering everyone. Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Homura was done being peaceful.

"I'm recklessly endangering them? How rich. You're putting innocent bystanders in danger trying to make them into magical girls."

Mami simply and slowly walked towards her

"I don't know what made you so stone cold and blind, but I don't want to see you around. If I do…" Homura felt the barrel of her musket into her back as she walked by, nothing more being said nor needing to be said.

* * *

After school the next day, Madoka and Sayaka met Okabe and Homura outside the school. As they walked, Okabe looked down at Homura, appearing uneasy.

"You mind telling me why you're so jumpy?" Okabe asked her.

"I'm not jumpy. Not at all." She answered almost immediately.

Okabe smirked a little.

"Yeah, and Sayaka is the most mentally stable person here." Okabe replied. Almost in response, Sayaka stopped along a nearby building, pulling out her phone to make a call.

"You guys can go up ahead. I'll be a few minutes." She asked, though it seemed like more of a demand. As everyone continued forward, Sayaka began dialing.

" _Come on, Hitomi. I know you're there."_

Finally, she picked up.

"Hello, Sayaka. Is there something you need?" She asked. Sayaka swallowed a little. This wouldn't be the best way of doing this, but she needed to do it.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you deliver something to Kyousuke for me?" She requested. "It's important, but I can't do it myself."

A long pause.

"I can't do it today, but I may be able to if you can find me tomorrow. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you want me to deliver?"

"It's...a message, if you can call it that. "A personal one."

Another pause. Hitomi seemed to sigh.

"If it's a personal message, then it wouldn't be right of me to deliver it. However, I can give you two the chance to be alone together, if that would work better." She responded. She was right. Giving her a message like this to him coming from someone else would be next to null.

"That would be great. Just let him know that I want to talk with him personally." She asked. Hitomi agreed and went to hang up before Sayaka spoke again.

"Oh, and Hitomi?"

"Yes, Sayaka?"

"Thank you for this." Sayaka stated. Hitomi chuckled a little under her breath.

"It's no problem. We're friends, after all." And with that, she hung up. Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief. There was hope after all.

Up ahead, Homura grew more tense. Her steps grew shaky, if only a little, and her body seemed to burst into a sweat. She knew what was coming, after all, even if nobody else did.

 _At least this can't get much morse…._

The group turned the corner to find Mami approaching them, her eyes not yet seeing her. She would have to get out of here. Turning her shield, the world stopped around her. Homura grabbed Okabe by the arm, pulling him in.

"I'll make this short. Something really big is about to go down, and I can't be here. If Mami sees me here, it could cost Madoka her life."

Okabe hung his head at her.

"This is exactly why I told you to be careful and choose your actions carefully." He responded.

"I know, but just...keep watch and warn her in my absence, okay?"

Okabe nodded. "Okay, but…"

Homura didn't let him finish.

"I don't have much time left. I'll follow close behind." She responded before running off behind cover.

 _Warn me of what?_

With a jolt, time was restarted, leaving Okabe to notice that he didn't know where Homura was. After a few moments, Madoka looked around, her being the next to notice who was missing.

"Where'd Homura-chan go? She was just here with us, wasn't she?" Okabe sensed Mami tense, and Okabe decided to answer.

"She realized she had to take care of something at home, so she had to go, but she'll meet up with us later."

Mami nodded. "Such a shame that she needed to go so soon." The group continued on before Sayaka looked onto the wall.

"Isn't that…" She began, but everyone already knew what she was talking about.

"It's a witch egg, and it's getting ready to hatch."

Mami looked at the egg before looking back at everyone in the group.

"Alright, everyone. I'm going to take down this witch. If anyone wants to come with me, feel free. If not, I don't blame you." She stated. Okabe went to back out before Homura's words rang in his mind.

 _How do I get dragged into these things?_ He thought before making his way into the labyrinth with the rest. The interior was decorated all around with sweets, the servants decorated similarly.

"Mami, can I talk to you about something?" Madoka asked, now up beside her.

"Sure, what is it Madoka?"

"I may have found my wish, but it may be the kind that would make you mad."

Mami turned to her curiously.

"I'm listening." She responded. Madoka took a moment to brace herself.

"Well, it's just that I've never been good at really anything, and never really been a use to anyone, so I think just having the power to protect the people I care about would be enough to make me happy."

For a moment, Okabe understood why Homura had such a hard time with her. He tried not to say anything, but it was difficult.

"Well, you're going to be getting that power anyways, so might as well get something out of it." Mami considered her statement for a moment before answering. "How about this: If we win this fight and you haven't decided, we'll have Kyubey wish you up a fabulous cake as a celebration."

Madoka grew panicked.

"I can't stake my life for a cake." She responded.

"Well then, take the time to think about something you really do want."

Okabe couldn't let that happen. If push comes to shove, he can always pull _that_ card.

"Here it comes" Mami stated as they seemed to appear in the witch's chamber. The witch resembled a doll of some kind, sitting alone at a small table.

 _Why did she worry so much? Is something really gonna happen here?_

Mami jumped in front of everyone.

"Since today is a special day, I will finish this witch off as quickly as possible." She jumped into the air, shooting it out of its chair and tying it with ribbons. Her musket then grew to an incredible size, preparing to launch her final attack against it.

 **TIRO FINALE!**

With a single shot, the doll burst open, revealing what can only be described as horrorous. The creature sat directly above Jaws wide open. Moments later and without thinking, he tackled Mami to the ground, dodging it's bite, and leaving Mami in horror.

"Wh-wh-what happened? What is that thing?" She stuttered. The witch looked off at the two of them, Okabe paralyzed with fear before he felt something on his shoulder.

He would have to do it after all….

* * *

Homura ran full speed towards the witch's room, her heart pounding to the point of being destroyed.

"Please be safe…" Was all she kept repeating to herself. What she didn't expect, however, was the labyrinth's disappearance.

And then the sight in front of her burned into her mind.

Okabe stood in a flowing white coat, almost like a cape, carrying a gun in one hand…

And a soul gem in the other.

"Sorry Homura, but if you can't do this, then I will. Know that." He stated, back still turned. "If you want to try to change this, I will let you, but you'll have to take this seriously.

"I'll do what I can" She responded before running off.

* * *

Many minutes later, Homura composed her D-Mail for sending, double checking it to make sure it got the message across.

"This should prevent that disaster" She said before sending. Within moments, she found herself in Mami's apartment, everyone else around the table.

Madoka and Sayaka were still alive…

Mami looked a little cold towards her, but she was alive too…

Okabe sat still, silently searching his person for any trace of a gem. He was thankfully wrong.

 _I think that was a success._ She thought before hearing another voice.

"Sorry, the tea may be a little too hot, so let it cool down." The young girl stated. "I'm just super happy to get to be with you all."

* * *

Thank you for reading.

I wrote quite a lot for this chapter, but I think I'll slow down my uploads a little bit (This chapter took me quite a while to write.) However, I hope you all continue to read and enjoy my writing.

Until next time, Besto out.


	8. Sweetness (Ribbon Chapter)

"Are you feeling alright?"

Sayaka looked up to see Okabe walking alongside her. Mami and Homura walked far ahead, Madoka walking alongside them in incredible curiosity, despite Homura's best efforts to silently shut her out.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I've had a long day, that's all." She replied. She didn't want to go in-depth about her love problems with anyone right now, never mind someone he met a day ago.

Before Okabe could respond, Homura slowed down before tapping him on the shoulder, continuing this way until she was a few steps behind Sayaka. Okabe responded in kind, getting close to her.

"Is something wrong, Homura?

Instead of answering, she opened up her phone's e-mail. Okabe knew where this was going.

"What did our future selves do? Please don't tell me we caused a disaster."

"Not a disaster, but something pretty awful, apparently. It says here that I need to be more cautious around Mami, and that I need to find a way to prevent her fate with the sweets witch." Okabe could see her face pale a little reading the last part.

"If I may ask, what exactly is the sweets witch?"

"If we can prevent it, the answer is unimportant. Besides, it's probably better for your mental safety that you don't see it." She responded, seemingly with a look of pain in her voice.

"I'll take your word for it, but I'll probably end up seeing it anyways whether you want me to or not. Is there anything else?"

Homura continued scrolling through the list of messages, saying nothing for a few seconds.

"Just one: My future self wants us to know that shooting the incubators isn't doing anything and is just making things worse." She stated. It looked like she wanted to say something more, but withheld. Before he could ask more, she walked ahead without saying another word to him, joining the rest of the group at a nearby abandoned building. From the top of it, a young woman stepped off, falling towards the floor. Mami released her ribbons to catch her, slowing her fall before softly landing on the ground.

"As I thought...A witch's kiss"

Sayaka rolled forward, getting a closer look on the girl.

"Witch's kiss? I don't remember anything about that." She said with a confused look.

"I explained this all on the way here. Don't you remember?" Mami responded disconcertedly.

"Yeah...now I remember now. Sorry about that."

Everyone still looked at her worriedly, but decided it would be best not to question it, instead making their way into the labyrinth. Out of the corner of his eye, Okabe spotted an incubator approaching. He pulls out his gun to fire, but remembered the message, putting it away and letting it approach them.

"Oh, this is Kyubey. He's the one who makes us into magical girls and grants our wishes" Mami explained. "Oh, Okabe, pass me your gun for a minute. Your bat too, Sayaka."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let the incubator live?" Homura whispered.

"If your future self took the time to warn you about it, it's probably a good idea to listen to your warnings."

Mami handed Okabe his gun and Sayaka her bat.

"It's not much, but it should help to keep the servants at bay, at the very least."

"Nice. Now, let's take down that witch." Sayaka cried out, bringing the bat behind her head.

The 5 made their way through the labyrinth, Sayaka obliterating everything in her path. Okabe began approaching her, making look like he was just trying to help her with her load, which wasn't entirely false but not entirely true either.

"You feeling alright? You're looking pretty...violent there."

"I'm perfectly fine. Never better." She responded, breaking apart another one in her path without mercy. "Don't worry about me."

"I'm sure you are perfectly stable right now, but it might be good to tone it back a bit."

Sayaka readied her bat before Okabe disappeared in front of her. Mami signaled that they were near the witch's chamber, so Sayaka simply put it aside for now and joined them as they continued onwards. Within moments, they were transported to a large opening, a massive figure in the center.

"Me and Homura will take care of this one. The rest of you should sit back and watch." Mami stated.

The two jumped down, Mami taking the first steps to grab the witch's attention. Stepping on a small flower, the witch turned to look at them, her servants coming towards them. Homura remembered the message from earlier.

"Mami, tie one of your ribbons to my leg." Homura asked with urgency.

"Sure, but why do you need it?"

"I'll explain later, but for now, just do it."

Mami did as she asked, and within moments, time was frozen.

"What did…"

"Like I said, I'll explain later. For now, just start shooting at the witches."

Mami did as she was asked, firing musket after musket into the frozen targets. Meanwhile, Homura danced around the battlefield, dropping bombs onto her enemies. Jumping right by Mami, she threw a bomb directly below her, Mami only now realizing that she missed a target. With grace, she performed a backwards roll, firing another shot into them before time restarted, all the servants dying at one time with a flurry of explosions and musket fire.

"Nice trick, but I kind of wanted the others to see it." Mami said disheartedly. Without her notice, she was whipped into the air above the witch.

"Mami-san" Madoka cried out from above.

Mami simply smiled a little.

"Don't worry about me. Besides, I can't lose face in front of my magical girl juniors." Mami released two more ribbons, cutting her down and restraining the witch before creating a massive gun from her remaining ribbons, aiming directly for the witch's head.

 **TIRO….FINALE!**

A single powerful shot obliterated the witch, dispensing its grief seed and destroying the labyrinth. Mami picked it up, handing it to Homura to refill her soul gem.

"It was your kill. You take it." Homura responded, handing her back the grief seed. A little disheartened, Mami took her offer before going off to make sure the girl was alright. A few tearful moments later, the girl was on her way.

"I'll walk Madoka and Sayaka home. You deserve to rest after that fight." Homura offered. In truth, she just wanted the two away from her and Kyubey before they put ideas into their heads.

"S-sure. I'll be seeing you both tomorrow, so make sure you're ready."

And with that, Mami was off.

* * *

"I can't believe her, Kyubey. I really wanted to tell them more about being a magical girl too." Mami said, pouting like a kid while doing so.

"She did make a good point, though. You've been doing this quite a bit lately, and it would be good for your well being to rest." Kyubey responded. "Besides, Homura and Okabe's house seem to be in the same direction as Madoka and Sayaka's."

"I understand, but still…" Mami was interrupted, having bumped into something and fallen over. Mami slowly got up, noticing what she had bumped into.

It was a girl, far younger than she was. Her hair was white and she seemed to wear a uniform similar to her own.

"Ow, that really hurt." The girl stated.

"More importantly, what is a girl like you doing out this late?" Mami asked with curiosity.

"I wanted to get my mom a cake. She's in the hospital and apparently doesn't have long, so I wanted to buy her one with the last of my money...but all the shops are closed." She answered, tearing falling across her face.

"If you wanted to, you could become a magical girl and wish up a cake for your mother." Kyubey stated.

"Could I...really...do that?" the girl asked, wiping the tears off her face.

Mami bent down to meet the girl eye-to-eye, helping her wipe away the tears.

"If you're going to make a wish to become a magical girl, making your wish for a cake would be foolish. Instead, you should wish her to be healthy." Mami stated, somewhat silently annoyed. "If you have the chance, you shouldn't waste a miracle on a rushed decision."

"But...the cake…"

"If you want a cake, I'd be more than happy to make one for you. In fact, come with me. We can do it together now if you'd like."

"R...really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. Besides, I think she'll appreciate it more if you make it from the heart rather than just wishing it up."

With that, the two of them made their way back to Mami's apartment, the little girl in excitement.

"We'll make it the best and biggest cake ever, won't we?" The girl excitedly asked.

"Indeed we will." Mami happily replied. "What kind of cake does your mom like?"

"Cheesecake!" She stated.

Mami nodded, pulling up a recipe from her phone. Throughout the night, the two worked on the cheesecake, the little girl happily mixing the ingredients and putting it in the oven to bake, under Mami's watch of course. While it baked, the two helped themselves to Mami's tea and other sweets, the girl evidently having a sweet tooth. When the oven beeped, Mami pulled the cake from the oven and put it in the fridge.

"This will need to cool for a while, so come back tomorrow. I'll even come with you to the hospital, though I think you should think hard about your wish." Mami suggested. She didn't want her making this with foolishly.

"I have been thinking about it, and I'm sure this is what I want. I don't want to watch her die, and if there's anything I can do to prevent it, I will use it. So, thank you…"

"Mami Tomoe, and your name is…"

As the girl walked out the door, she looked back on her with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"It's Nagisa...Nagisa Momoe." She responded before running out the door into the night. Mami thought to go out and walk her home, but decided against it.

She was one interesting girl, all right.

* * *

Sayaka and Madoka made their way home, the night sky looming overtop of both of them. As they walked, Sayaka looked down the street to see Hitomi walking. Madoka seemed to notice as well, gesturing for Sayaka to go talk to her. Thoughts of her and Kyousuke studying together filled her mind as she moved to approach her and give her a piece of her mind.

Suddenly, however, she felt her wheelchair fall over with Madoka barely catching it. A young girl stopped midway across the street.

"Hey, watch where you're going." Sayaka angrily yelled to her.

"Sorry about that." She responded, a smile stretched across her face. "I'm just so happy right now". The girl bolted down a nearby street, caution in the wind.

"Wonder what has her so happy." Madoka asked, Sayaka ignoring her words. Hitomi had left at some point during the encounter, leaving her with only pent up emotions.

"Madoka, your house is nearby, right?"

"Yeah, it's just a few streets up…"

"I think I'd like to walk home alone tonight. I don't want you to feel upset." Sayaka responded.

"O-okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you…"

With that, Madoka was gone, leaving Sayaka alone with herself. Pulling out her bat, she pummeled a nearby section of sidewalk relentlessly, letting her rage out at the fullest. Even though all the banging, she thought she could hear Madoka crying in the distance, though she wasn't sure anymore. Not about anything.

* * *

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and it's been one that I've been waiting to write for a while. Unfortunately, I had to split this one up in order to get this one out, but I hope you're all still enjoying my writing, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

Until then, Besto out.


	9. A Wish Rewritten (Ribbon Chapter)

Homura walked into her home, her legs dragging along the floor with every step she took, before plopping herself down onto a bench. The pendulum rhythmically swung in the background of her vision, and from the corner of her eye, she could see the phone microwave sitting across from her, daring another use. Okabe sat himself down beside her and started playing with her hair. It was a nice feeling.

"Did we avert disaster this time around?" She asked, unresisting to his playing with her braids. As much as she loved them down, she had to admit that she did feel a lot better in them. It reminded her of a time long past. A time she won't be getting back. Okabe just stared at the machine, thinking to himself about whatever he thought about.

"I'd say it's possible, but from personal experience, uses of this machine often have very unintended side effects, even with the most innocent of jobs, though I'm not sure this can really be called innocent." She heard a laugh escape from him. A small one. "Case and point, Sayaka Miki."

Homura sat up and turned to face him.

"I mean, sure, she's in a wheelchair, but she otherwise seems fine to me, albeit a little bit of anger issues. It's probably for the best that we don't play with things that may make this worse than it already is." She stated.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked.

The question took her a little bit by surprise, forcing her to rack her brain.

"Yeah. If anything, we've cut her off from contracting to save that boy. If she's not a magical girl, then things will be much easier. It comes at a price, of course, but…" She paused, noting that Okabe was once again sorting through memories, unfocused on what was around him. Not completely, anyways.

Finally, he spoke up.

"Fate has a very interesting way of dealing with certain events." Okabe stated, a little solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Homura asked.

"Some things can be nearly unavoidable and absolute. The situation might differ, but the result is the same. You try to take them a different route, they get shot down. You try to take them down a set of stairs, they fall and die horribly. You try to escape on a train, and they…" There was a momentary silence, and it occurred to Homura that he was revisiting a bad spot. "It really is like clockwork, and if what I've heard is anything to go on, you're having a very similar experience, aren't you?"

She thought back to Madoka, and her heart stung a little.

"So, you're saying it's hopeless?" She asked, falling back into her laying down position, only this time Okabe able to catch her.

"Of course not. That's why I'm here, after all. You just need to seek out that perfect timeline where everything is resolved, and like I told you back at that shop, it exists. You may not see it, but it exists."

"Correction: You told future me that. I'm not future me. It's a little unfair to compare the two of us, don't you think?"

"S-sorry. I forgot."

More silence.

"It's really nice to hear, though. Something that I forget a lot too."

"Yeah, well, same here. Never said it was easy, did I?" Okabe stated. Again with his laugh, though she could do nothing to read the emotion behind it. Homura let out a yawn, her eyes drifting off to sleep.

"I'm not tired, just so you know. I'm...not…" She said, doing a miserable job of covering herself up. As he expected, she was asleep within moments, head resting in his arms. He began playing with her braids again, and caught a slight smile from her face. For a girl that had been to hell and back, she still had quite some softness in her.

 _Swish swish swish_

His eyes cast to another part of room where a familiar white cat sat patiently beside the machine.

"What do you want?" He asked the incubator.

The creature didn't blink.

"I have simply come to say that you have lots of potential. Magical boys are very rare to find, but someone with as much potential as you is unnatural. Very similar situation to that to Kaname Madoka." It rested its paw against the Phone Microwave, seeming to examine it with great interest.

"You could save that girl with a single wish, all her pain and suffering would be gone, as if it was never there." The creature continued. "Logically, it's really the best outcome."

"Homura is just fine without me making a contract. She'll save Madoka. I'm sure of it." Okabe argued, patting the girl over the head.

"I wasn't referring to Akemi Homura."

Okabe stopped patting her head, his eyes fading.

The creature slowly cocked his head, curiously examining Okabe.

"I've considered it, you know. Wishing away her suffering with no more than a few words, everyone getting along like nothing ever happened. She would be safe, wouldn't she?" He asked.

"Of course. Her unneeded deaths would be no more. You could live out the rest of your days with her knowing that she is safe. Is that not what you want?"

Okabe laughed a little bit. Only a little.

"Maybe, but I'm sure this girl right here would find a way to fix that anyways, similar to how this timeline is likely a direct result of myself making that exact choice."

"And why do you say that?" Kyubey asked, head still tilted in curiosity.

"Because it's something I would do. If this timeline was the result of a fix, then I'm sure I made that choice. Even if I didn't, she would still fix it. I'm sure of it."

The creature sat still for a moment, taking in his words.

"It seems illogical though. Shiina Mayuri will only continue to suffer-" His words were interrupted with a bullet to his head and his carcass falling to the ground. Homura shot awake in his lap, her eyes coming to fix onto a second incubator eating it's corpse.

"If you're done, I've heard more than enough out of you. Go find someone else to preach your bullshit to."

"Just making the offer." The creature stated. As quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Homura sat up to say something, anything, but his eyes had a broken look to them. It was as if anything she said would shatter him.

And so, she said nothing.

A short while later, Okabe stood up and made his way to the bed.

"Come on, we should sleep."

Homura just nodded and followed, matching his speed as best she could. Somewhere, out in the world, her future self was burdening his problems. Problems she would never truly relate to. Not that trying to would do any good.

So she didn't bother trying.

* * *

Homura passed the time outside the hospital drinking the familiar red drink she had been given when her and Okabe had first met. She took it in little sips while Okabe watched for Madoka and Sayaka to eventually come by. However, he glanced back at her every once in a while with a curious look.

Homura, on the other hand, kept glancing at the wall, checking it for the appearance of the labyrinth that would inevitably take Mami's life, for Madoka to go find Mami and take her here. Homura would follow, only to be stopped from saving her.

 _"So, why not just be there when it appears?"_ Okabe had suggested earlier that morning. That had been the plan she had set her mind on, and it was a pretty good one too. At least, it was.

Homura opened her phone and checked the time, quickly growing anxious.

"It should have appeared by now, or at least begun to." Homura silently fidgeted with the can in her hand, swirling it back and forth.

"Give it a few minutes. Not everything is squarely on-the-dot, you know."

"It's been half an hour." Homura blankly replied. "This feels wrong." She took another sip from her can, letting the taste sink through her. She still didn't get why he liked it so much.

"Just calm down. There's probably another explanation for all of this."

As if on cue, Homura felt her phone vibrate, something that never happened. Not here.

"It's from Mami." She stated, looking over to see that Okabe was looking at his phone too.

"She wants us over at her apartment…" Homura whispered.

"I assume this is something new?"

"Very."

Okabe turned away from the hospital, facing into the distance.

"Then we shall march onwards towards the future." Homura smiled, following his lead with her can in hand.

Maybe this would work out after all. Maybe.

* * *

Okabe and Homura stepped into Mami's apartment, greeted to Madoka and Sayaka sitting at a small glass table. The former had a look of excitement over her face, while the latter just seemed restless. Cautiously, the two stepped in and took seats around the table.

"Anyone know what any of this is about?" Okabe asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Thought so."

Suddenly, without warning, his vision turned to grey, everything going still. Only the warmth of Homura's hand kept him let him know of this.

"I did a quick scan around the apartment." Homura immediately stated. "Mami isn't here anywhere."

Homura's eyes gazed into his with a solid look, one that, on her face, frightened him.

"Alright, but...why do you need to use your magic to tell me this?"

"I need to know if you told her anything, about the future. If so, and she ran off to fight the witch herself, then…" Of course, to Homura, this didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Madoka would still be alive, as would Okabe. The sweets witch might be an issue, but she could deal with that later. She felt a little pain in her heart about what she was saying, but...

"I didn't tell her anything, alright? You don't need to be so anxious. Now, can you stop using your magic for now?"

Homura nodded, bringing the colour back into the world. For a moment, Madoka looked at the two with a confused look, but decided to ignore it. Conversation continued, until Kyubey strolled through the door and plopped himself onto the table, looking Okabe directly in the eye.

It took all his strength not to strangle the creature then and there. More footsteps from outside relieved Homura of her fears, but something sounded off about them. Her worries only came back when she stopped at the door and the footsteps continued. Homura slowly reached her hand down, but was grabbed by Okabe.

"Sorry for that, but I wanted this to be a surprise for all of you." Everyone sat confused as Mami left the doorway, muttering something they couldn't hear, returning seconds later with a little girl in tow.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet the newest magical girl addition." Mami proudly stated to the group. The girl just shyly stepped forward.

"H-hi. My name is Momoe Nagisa. I look forward to working with you all."

* * *

6 months isn't _that_ long of a time to wait, right?

Seriously, though, I'm really sorry about the wait. Lost motivation to write this story for a while, and only started writing it again when I got the chance to look over it recently.

Anyways, I hope not to go on another long break like this, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy what I've written.

Until next time...


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